The Daily Show!

I’d say the first week of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah was “OK.”  I’d give him a B.

The pundits have their usual range of opinions – from “He was terrible,” to “He’s getting better every day.”  If I were being hypercritical I’d lower my grade to a C.  But at this point I’m willing to cut him some slack.

Noah is at his best when talking about what he can directly relate to.  The best segment of the week was the riff on Donald Trump as an African dictator.  The worst segments were his interviews.  He wasn’t comfortable and it showed.  It didn’t help that the guests themselves were mediocre.

His relationship with the correspondents is a little awkward and tentative.  I expect this to improve with time.

Overall, the shows were bland.  He needs to bring some edginess to it.  He needs to not be afraid to offend.  He needs to be himself and make it his own.  If that happens the show’s future is bright.  If it doesn’t, I’m not likely to be a regular viewer